A Chinese scientific research ship whose port call was postponed due to apparent security concerns raised by India arrived at a southern port in Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
Yuan Wang 5 was received by Sri Lankan port officials and Chinese officials of the shipping company at Hambantota port.
The ship was initially scheduled to arrive on 11 August but was asked by the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry to postpone the docking until further consultations. The ministry said last weekend that the ship had been allowed to dock at Hambantota till August 22. It said both sides had agreed that the ship would keep its detection system operational and not conduct any research activity in Sri Lankan waters.
Sri Lanka said it was postponing the ship’s arrival due to concerns raised with the ministry but did not say who picked them up. Neighboring India’s security concerns over the ship’s proximity to the southern borders are a likely factor.
India on Monday gifted a maritime reconnaissance aircraft to Sri Lanka to strengthen its maritime security. The Indian embassy said Sri Lanka’s navy and air force personnel trained in India would operate the aircraft with operational support from Indian personnel.
“The aircraft would act as a force multiplier, enabling Sri Lanka to tackle multiple challenges such as human and drug trafficking, smuggling and other organized forms of crime in its coastal waters more effectively. Induction of the aircraft is timely given the current challenges to Sri Lanka’s maritime security,” the embassy said.
India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said last week that India was aware of a planned visit by the vessel. It carefully monitors any development that affects its security and economic interests and will take all measures to safeguard them.
China has been vying to expand its influence in Sri Lanka, which sits along one of the busiest shipping routes in what India considers part of its strategic backyard.
China has lent Sri Lanka billions of dollars for development projects, some of which have been criticized as having little practical use. They include Hambantota port, which Sri Lanka leased to China in 2017 because it could not repay the loan.
“Given the geopolitical dynamics in the region and Sri Lanka’s heavy vulnerability on the economic front, Sri Lanka is playing with two fires at a diplomatic level,” said international affairs analyst Ranga Kalansooriya.
He said while Sri Lanka cannot discount both the regional powers, its President Ranil Wickremesinghe is tasked not only with salvaging the country’s economy but also with maintaining a diplomatic balance.